5 Talented Knife Designers to Follow in 2019

Last month we wrote about five knife brands that should be on your radar in 2019. But on top of the manufacturers and shops putting out quality blades, individual designers can make just as much of an impression on their audience. Following a designer can be like waiting for the latest release from your favorite director or author; whether they’re working on their own or sending their work to production labels in high-profile collaborations, a new fixed blade or folder from someone you follow is a big deal. Here are five designers who we expect to see great things from next year.

Elijah Isham
When Isham’s first designs trickled into the market through Kizer and then WE, they looked unlike anything else out there – and that’s still true of his work today. Isham has become the knife world’s foremost surrealist, and in addition to a steady stream of collaborations he recently started turning out knives under his own label, so there are multiple ways to get an Isham knife of your own.

Will Boos
Boos’ Aero knife was an impressive debut, but his reputation really exploded when the Smoke TS1 debuted last year. The premium knife was a small batch success, and set the pace for Boos’s later releases. As Boos Blades continues to grow, his plans for a three-tier catalog divided into entry-level, premium, and exotic levels should help satisfy demand for his sleek, sophisticated folders across a large swathe of the market.

Paul Alexander
Spyderco’s catalog is full of experimental designs, but recently some of the most adventurous have come from Paul Alexander. The Ouroboros was a memorable start, and the follow-up Sliverax model showcased Alexander’s flexibility and versatility. The soon-to-release Parata takes things to the next level with a striking blade shape and the production debut of the Spyderco Stop Lock.

Kyle Chumchal
Chumchal is the crown prince of CAD, and his bold, technical style made him well-known before a single knife of his existed in physical reality. Chumchal is prolific, turning out fixed blades, folders, and (more recently) balisongs; but he maintains that futuristic flair through his many, many designs. Now that he’s teamed up with Elite Outfitting Solutions we should see more than ever from Chumchal next year.

Justin Lundquist
Front flippers have gained a ton of traction in recent times and a lot of that can be traced to Lundquist’s Feist. The tiny, fidget-friendly front flipper pushed a lot of the right buttons when Kizer put it out into the world as a production model. Lundquist blends quirky and cool in a way that stamps each of his designs as recognizably his. Like Boos and Isham, he has begun putting out small batch runs on his own; hopefully that will continue in the new year.

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